Located on Victoria Island, one of the most exclusive areas in Lagos, Eko Hotel & Suites enjoys a privileged position near beautiful Kuramo Beach. Though just minutes from Lagos’ bustling financial district, the resort is far enough away for business travellers to be able disconnect, unwind and enjoy the many amenities Eko Hotel & Suites has to offer.
Hotel guests can enjoy lovingly landscaped swimming pool, which is the animated backdrop for live music at weekends. For those who seek to stay in shape while in Lagos, floodlit tennis courts and beach volleyball and basketball courts are on site for guests.
With all the sport and activity, visitors who work up an appetite will find plenty of delicious options at Eko Hotel & Suites’, Eko Steak House serves just what its name suggests: tender juicy steaks, along with mouth-watering chicken, tender BBQ ribs and the freshest salads. An all-time favourite among international travellers, Italian food can be found at Casa Chianti, as well as an excellent selection of wines not only from Italy but from all around the world. Outside, poolside dining is available at Lagoon Breeze Restaurant, which serves local dishes. Also serving Nigerian fare is Kuramo Sports Café, where giant plasma screens, a pool table, darts, and table football all add a bit of fun to the dining experience.
As for accommodations, Eko Hotel & Suites offers three options: Eko Suites, Eko Hotel and Eko Gardens – each tailored to suit different needs and budgets. All venues boast elegantly decorated guestrooms with air conditioning, satellite TV, internet connections, and amenities of the highest quality, as well as round-the-clock concierge service.
Eko Hotel & Suites is also the ideal venue for meetings, conferences and banquets. Indeed, its conference and banquet facilities know no equal in Lagos. Luminous and airy multifunctional suites in various sizes can accommodate a great range of functions of up to 5,000 people, and Eko Hotel & Suites can provide all the necessary assistance in terms of technology requirements, catering, planning and of course, accommodation.
Throughout the hotel, African touches can be seen and warm Nigerian hospitality felt. Few locally operated hotels have reached the quality and service that Eko Hotel & Suites has, and the hotel is certainly building up a name for itself, not only in Lagos but beyond. The Managing Director of Eko Hotel & suites, Ghassan J Faddoul, admits that the tourism industry still has a way to go in Nigeria, but that Eko is certainly at the head, thanks in large part to the training employees receive.
“We provide training through local consultants, and we provide in-house training by our heads of departments and we provide international training. For example, now I have summoned my General Manager to go into eCornell and oblige our heads of departments and assistant heads of departments to take one to two courses per annum with eCornell. That could improve their knowledge and add value to my business, so they can update my business and translate what they have learnt to their subordinates and staff. This is part of our 2012 and 2013 plan. We have to train ourselves and invest in our human capital in terms of training,” explains Mr Faddoul.
As the country lures in more and more investors, expats and tourists, the demand for hotel rooms rises, and Lagos has been hard-pressed to keep abreast. Fortunately for travellers, Eko Hotel & Suites is currently adding new rooms, to avoid the bed shortage seen just a few years ago.
“Our business grew tenfold from 1996 to 2005. We made the whole of the revenues for 1996 in less than a month in 2005. There were very few hotels operating in Lagos. We were running at over 90%, or even 100%. I have seen so many instances where people have said that they only wanted a bed by the swimming pool to sleep, because there was 100% occupancy. It was too much. Even during the downturn, we were still operating at 60-70%,” says Mr Faddoul.
“This is why we are expanding. Today we have a capacity of 654 rooms and we are opening a luxurious 172-room hotel so our capacity will increase to 826 rooms.”
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